Aerial Solutions
Aerial Solutions is a Tabor City, NC-based aerial services company that pioneered helicopter-based vegetation management in 1985, providing Air Saw, Grapple Saw, pole-setting, and storm restoration services to utilities, pipelines, railroads, and government agencies across 24 U.S. states.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersTabor City, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Aerial Solutions does
Aerial Solutions is a family-owned aviation company headquartered in Tabor City, North Carolina, that pioneered helicopter-based vegetation management in 1985. The company provides contracted aerial services — primarily Air Saw side trimming, Grapple Saw tree removal, external load (pole setting), aerial patrols, and emergency storm restoration — to enterprise clients including major utility companies, pipeline operators, railroads, and government agencies across approximately 24 states in the Midwest, Southeast, and Mid-Atlantic. Its core technology is a proprietary line of helicopter-mounted cutting equipment (Air Saw, Mega Saw, and Grapple Saw) fabricated in-house and continuously refined over 40+ years, deployed on a specialized fleet of 11 MD500 series helicopters and 1 AS350B3. The Air Saw delivers a roughly 10x productivity advantage over conventional ground crews, enabling sky-to-ground clearance in terrain inaccessible to traditional methods. The company holds ISNetworld, Powersafe, Vertical Aviation International, and Avetta compliance credentials and is staffed by mechanics with 100+ years of combined MD500/AS350 experience.
Aerial Solutions generates revenue through contracted professional services on a quote-based, per-project or recurring basis; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales — direct relationships with major utilities, pipelines, railroads, and government agencies — supplemented by event-driven emergency storm response. The company maintains field mechanics deployed nationally and an in-house R&D and manufacturing facility that supports continuous equipment improvement. In April 2026, Aerial Solutions was acquired by Imperial Capital Group as the anchor platform of its newly launched Northridge Infrastructure Solutions, funded by Imperial's 2021 $800M Fund VIII, with a stated growth-through-acquisition strategy targeting aerial utility services, field vegetation management, and engineering services companies across North America.
Aerial Solutions firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Aerial Solutions
- Legal name
- Aerial Solutions
- Website
- https://aerialsolutionsinc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Aerial Solutions is a Tabor City, NC-based aerial services company that pioneered helicopter-based vegetation management in 1985, providing Air Saw, Grapple Saw, pole-setting, and storm restoration services to utilities, pipelines, railroads, and government agencies across 24 U.S. states.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Aerial Solutions industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Aerial Utility Vegetation Management Services
- NAICS
- Air Transportation (481), Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation (481219)
- SIC
- Aircraft (3721), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Aerial Surveying & Crop Scouting (Imaging, Mapping, Stand Counts) (AFACAIAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Aerial Pesticide/Herbicide/Fungicide Application (AFACAIAE), Drone/UAS Application Services (Spraying, Spreading, Seeding) (AFACAIAB)
Keywords
Where Aerial Solutions is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tabor City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Aerial Solutions business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Aerial Vegetation Management Services: Contracted helicopter vegetation management services for utilities, pipelines, railroads, and government agencies. Services include aerial side trimming of rights-of-way, grapple saw operations, external load work, patrols, and emergency storm restoration. Revenue is generated through service contracts, likely on a per-project or contracted recurring basis.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Aerial Solutions product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Aerial Solutions provides helicopter-based aerial vegetation management for utility, pipeline, railroad, and government infrastructure rights-of-way. Its core services include Air Saw side trimming, Grapple Saw tree removal, External Load pole setting, aerial Patrols, and emergency Storm Restoration, delivered through a specialized fleet of 11 MD500 and 1 AS350B3 helicopters equipped with proprietary saw equipment. The company uses its own FAA-approved Air Saw and Grapple Saw technology, designed and manufactured in-house, to provide sky-to-ground clearance in terrain where conventional ground methods are limited.
Product overview
Aerial Solutions is a family-owned aviation company founded in 1985 that pioneered helicopter-based vegetation management. The company offers a suite of aerial services for utility rights-of-way maintenance: the core Air Saw service (using proprietary helicopter-mounted saws on MD500 aircraft) and Grapple Saw service (on AS350 aircraft) for vegetation trimming and removal, complemented by External Load (pole setting), Patrol, and Storm Restoration services. The company operates a fleet of 11 MD500 helicopters and 1 AS350B3, supported by in-house R&D and manufacturing of its proprietary Air Saw equipment, field mechanics, and a dedicated maintenance facility. Services are primarily targeted at utility companies, pipelines, railroads, and government agencies across the Eastern Seaboard and Midwest.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Air Saw Services Aerial side trimming of rights-of-way using an aerial power saw attached to MD 500 series helicopters. The Air Saw provides fast, cost-effective sky-to-ground clearance in rough terrain and environmentally sensitive areas where conventional methods are limited, and is offered to major utility, pipeline, railroad, and government clients.
- Grapple Saw Services Tree removal service using a hydraulic grapple saw with a 30-inch chainsaw bar and articulating grapple arms mounted on the Airbus AS350 helicopter. The grapple arms secure a section of the tree while the chainsaw cuts and removes it. Used for tree removals, canopy reductions, and mitigation of danger and hazard trees in environmentally sensitive areas.
- External Load Services
- Patrol Services
- Storm Restoration Services
Quantifiable outcome
- One hour of aerial saw work equals one or more days of conventional ground crew work
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Aerial Solutions
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Aerial Solutions technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Aerial Solutions partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Aerial Solutions competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Asplundh Tree Expert Company: The largest U.S. utility vegetation management and right-of-way services company, providing line clearance, aerial operations, and storm response to IOUs across all major U.S. regions. Asplundh is the dominant incumbent that Aerial Solutions competes against for utility helicopter contracts.
- Wright Tree Service: Major U.S. utility right-of-way vegetation management provider offering aerial trimming, line clearance, and storm restoration services to IOUs and municipalities. Closely comparable in customer mix, service offering, and geographic deployment model to Aerial Solutions.
- Lewis Tree Service: Established U.S. utility vegetation management company serving electric, telecommunications, and municipal customers with right-of-way clearing, aerial trimming, and storm response. Directly comparable to Aerial Solutions on enterprise utility contracts and field crews.
- Townsend Tree Service: Utility vegetation management provider operating across multiple U.S. regions with right-of-way clearing and storm response offerings. Direct competitor for IOU vegetation contracts in the same geographies where Aerial Solutions operates.
- Nelson Tree Service: U.S. utility right-of-way and vegetation management contractor providing line clearance and aerial services for electric cooperatives and IOUs. Comparable in operational model and customer profile to Aerial Solutions' enterprise utility business.
- Trees Inc. Utility line clearance and right-of-way management provider serving investor-owned utilities with vegetation management and storm restoration. Direct comparable to Aerial Solutions' core vertical exposure.
Broad incumbents
- Davey Tree Expert Company: Public U.S. tree care and utility services company (NASDAQ: Davey) with utility line clearance, vegetation management, and aerial capabilities. Broader than Aerial Solutions in scope but overlaps materially on helicopter right-of-way trimming for utility customers.
- Bristow Group: Global helicopter services company listed on NYSE operating mixed fleet rotorcraft for energy, government, and search-and-rescue work. Comparable on the aviation operating, FAA compliance, and fleet management dimensions that anchor Aerial Solutions' helicopter-based delivery model, though not a vegetation management specialist.
Emerging players
- ArborMetrics Solutions: Specialized U.S. utility vegetation management company focused on right-of-way assessment, audit, and inventory services using GIS and aerial data. Adjacent to Aerial Solutions on utility vegetation customers and increasingly overlaps on aerial inspection work.
Others
- Vertical Aviation International: U.S. helicopter industry trade association representing vertical aviation operators including utility aerial services. Not a commercial peer, but the industry body that codifies the FAA-aligned training, safety, and operational standards Aerial Solutions works within.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Aerial Solutions social profiles
Digital presenceAerial Solutions financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Aerial Solutions leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Aerial Solutions funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Aerial Solutions M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Aerial Solutions
What does Aerial Solutions do?
Aerial Solutions provides helicopter-based aerial vegetation management for utility, pipeline, railroad, and government infrastructure rights-of-way. Its core services include Air Saw side trimming, Grapple Saw tree removal, External Load pole setting, aerial Patrols, and emergency Storm Restoration, delivered through a specialized fleet of 11 MD500 and 1 AS350B3 helicopters equipped with proprietary saw equipment. The company uses its own FAA-approved Air Saw and Grapple Saw technology, designed and manufactured in-house, to provide sky-to-ground clearance in terrain where conventional ground methods are limited.
Is Aerial Solutions a public or private company?
Aerial Solutions is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Aerial Solutions founded?
Aerial Solutions was founded in 1985. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Aerial Solutions based?
Aerial Solutions is headquartered in Tabor City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Aerial Solutions make money?
One revenue line is on record: aerial Vegetation Management Services.
Who are Aerial Solutions's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Asplundh Tree Expert Company, Wright Tree Service, Lewis Tree Service, Townsend Tree Service, Nelson Tree Service and Trees Inc.. Broad incumbents are Davey Tree Expert Company and Bristow Group. ArborMetrics Solutions is listed as an emerging player. Vertical Aviation International is listed as an others.
Does Aerial Solutions have an API?
No public API is recorded for Aerial Solutions.
What industry is Aerial Solutions in?
Aerial Solutions's product category is Aerial Utility Vegetation Management Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFACAIAJ, Aerial Surveying & Crop Scouting (Imaging, Mapping, Stand Counts), with a secondary code of AFACAIAE, Aerial Pesticide/Herbicide/Fungicide Application. Its NAICS code is 481 and its SIC code is 3721.